The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) chairman Sajad Lone won the Handwara assembly seat, defeating National Conference (NC) veteran Chowdhury Mohammad Ramzan by a margin of over 662 votes. Ramzan secured more than 29,100 votes.

Earlier, veteran Sajad Gani Lone faced a significant defeat in the Kupwara seat, where Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) Mir Mohammad Fayaz emerged victorious. Fayaz defeated NC senior leader Omar Abdullah's close confidante Nasir Aslam Wani by a margin of 9,797 votes. Fayaz garnered a total of 27,773 votes, while Wani received 17,976 votes. Lone came third place with 7457 votes.

A total of seven candidates are to contest in the Handwara assembly constituency, a part of the Baramulla-Kupwara Lok Sabha constituency. However, political pundits have predicted a close contest between Peoples Conference (PC) chairman Sajjad Lone and National Conference (NC) veteran Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan. 

Electorate and Key Candidates

Peoples Democratic Party’s Gauhar Azad Mir and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ghulam Mohammad Mir are also in the poll fray.

Lone is running for office in two seats – Handwara and Kupwara. In the last two assembly polls in J&K — in 2014 and 2008 — Sajjad Lone and Chowdry Ramzan emerged victorious from the seat. Following his election victory in 2014, Lone became a minister in the then PDP-BJP government led by Mehbooba Mufti from the BJP's quota.

The late Abdul Gani Lone, founder of PC and Sajjad Lone’s father, had won the seat three times in 1967, 1972, and 1977, making the seat a party stronghold. However, National Conference’s Chowdry Ramzan later established his dominance, winning it four times — in 1983, 1987, 1996, and 2008.

Vote Share (2014)

Winner: Sajad Gani Lone (JKPC): 29,355 votes, 43.19 % (vote share)
Chowdry Mohamad Ramzan (JKNC): 23,932 votes, 35.21 % (vote share)

Margin of Victory: 5,423

Party Performance in Previous Elections

In the 2014 assembly elections, the PDP emerged as the single-largest party in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, securing 28 out of 87 seats. The BJP followed closely as the second-largest party with 25 seats, while the National Conference and Congress managed only 15 and 12 seats, respectively.

Background of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections

As the region recently held assembly elections in phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1, this election marks the first since the abrogation of Article 370. The Election Commission of India reported a noteworthy voter turnout of 63.88% in these elections. In this election cycle, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and Congress contested jointly as partners in the INDIA alliance, while the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opted to fight independently.